First Apartment
…Well, at least the first paid for with his own salary. This would happen to be my favorite nephew in Tejas.
The apartment had good bones?…Or more specifically, a great window and a greater number than necessary square feet.
This would be a budget makeover. We were cost...

Rearranging existing furnishings.
What to buy for the grand entry? Maybe nothing. Maybe we use what the Allen client already owns.
Maybe we hire piano movers and move the baby grand piano 12 feet into the entry hall. (It...

BEFORE
AFTER
Happy surprise! A nice tray ceiling was underneath the florescent plexiglass panels. Bye-bye Plexiglass!
The fir downs over the cabinets were also eliminated.
The cabinets, well-built but tired, needed both functional and cosmetic tweaks: The top row of pantry cabinets became usable when...

AFTER
Before unpacking the moving boxes, this client enlisted the help of Decorating on a Shoe String. To market her previous home in Twin Creeks, stagers had been hired. They had done a super job. The staging results were SO GOOD that the home owner decided she would have her next home staged as soon as she...

A letter to my children:
Dear Chickies–
I wrote part of this in response to an email one of you sent. Then, while I was on a tear, I wrote some more. It’s pretty much about you and yours.
This week I read/heard(?) that the projected debt load, counting the unfunded liabilities...

Before you embark on a kitchen remodel stop and ask, “What changes would make sense?” You probably need to recruit another set of eyes. You’ve seen the status quo for so long that it’s hard to envision the possibilities. Everyday, homeowners across the metroplex install granite...

If you have to wait…. this commercial office building in Firewheel is a nice place to do it! Oriental rugs, purchased by the doctor early in the process, determined the design palette. Several large oil paintings pick up the hues in the carpets and are set off by the wall color selected, Sherwin...

Think cool. We installed two outdoor fan/lights on this North Dallas patio.
Think memories. We addded a porch swing!
Think comfortable. We purchased very affordable patio furniture, a glider and swivel-tilt chairs. Sometimes movement is restful!
Think botanical. We added patio plants up close. The gorgeous...

A leaky shower pan precipitated this partial bathroom remodel in Allen.
We chose a tile that the Home Owners already knew they loved. It had been installed as a fireplace surround during a prior renovation.
We demo’d the existing small shower with its seat and half wall. The seat in the shower had been...

I advised these Plano clients that they should not reupholster for the purpose of saving money. There were other great reasons to do so, however! Reupholstery is a great choice:
When furniture has sentimental meaning. Recovering the piece will allow you to incorporate it into your current decor.
When...

Decorating on a Shoe String, a service for the cost-conscious, has many happy clients in the Dallas metroplex communities of Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Prosper, Fairview, Murphy, Heath, North Dallas and Westlake.
The company was founded by Ginny Andrews 15 years ago and has morphed to offer turn-key residential remodeling and commercial design as well as furniture and accessory selection, re-arrangement, custom window treatments and window products.